Construction toy



y 1955 H. N. PETERSON 2,708,809

cousmucnon TOY Filed Jan. 28, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR fizzy/[13 M900 ATTORNEYS y 1955 H. N. PETERSON 2,708,809

CONSTRUCTION TOY Filed Jan. 28, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS y 2 1955 H. N. PETERSON 2,708,809

CONSTRUCTION TOY Filed Jan. 28, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 CONSTRUCTION TOY Harry Peterson, Washington, D. C.

AppiieationJanuary 28, 1952, Serial No. 268,518 I 12 Claims. (CI. 46-22) This invention relates to a construction kit of interchangeable toy animal parts, which may be put together in various combinations to form different animals.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide toy animal parts coupled by means of complementary pegs and bores or their equivalent, including a body having a middle section and front and rear sections, with a system for locking the body sections together by means of leg elements having leg pegs, which comprise a lock block passing through the middle body section having ends projecting therefrom into recesses in the front and rear sections, the front and rear sections having leg peg bores therethrough aligned with leg peg bores in the lock block when said body sections are in contiguity on said lock block, through which said aligned bores the leg pegs extend.

Another object of the invention is to provide an interlocked body and leg unit as described, in which the middle body section is pronouncedly convex on one side and reversible either on or with the lock block to form a belly in one position and a hump in the other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unit as described, with a head element, interchangeable neck elements shaped to resemble the necks of difierent animals for coupling said head to said unit, and head appendages such as ear elements or car and horn units characteristic of different animals interchangeably attachable to said head element.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a rear body section having a tail chamber or magazine communicating with the posterior of said rear section by a tail orifice through which passes a double ended flexible tail, the respective ends being different to simulate the tails of different animals, one end of said tail being stowed in the magazine, while the other end is exposed, said tail being manipulable to expose either end and to vary the length of the exposed portion.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a head element having communicating eye and ear orifices,'and a flexible Y'shapedmember freely positioned within said head element, having a tongue portion protruding from the mouth orifice and ear portions projecting from the ear orifices, whereby upon pulling on the tongue it lengthens at the expense of the ears.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a head element as last described, in conjunction with movable eyes on a shaft frictionally engaged by the flexible member for turning the shaft and moving the eyes when the flexible member is pulled from either the tongue end or the ears.

' Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

in the drawings which accompany and form a part of the following specification and throughout the figures of which the sarne'reference characters have been used to denote identical parts:

Figure 1 is the representation of a toy animal, partly in longitudinal elevation and partly in vertical section, assembled from interchangeable elements;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lock block;

Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is fragmentary longitudinal cross-section through the rear portion of an animal assemblage showing a modified form of rear body section;

Figure 6 is a horizontal cross-section taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, are a series showing in side elevation an animal assemblage following the concept of the invention illustrating neck and head elements in various positions, Figure 7 also showing in section a modified form of rear body section characterized by the absence of a tail magazine;

Figure 11 is a view in side elevation of an animal assemblage having the middle body belly section reversed to form a hump, said figure also showing in section. a flexible neck element;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary view, mostly in section, of an animal assemblage showing the flexible neck element of Figure 11 straightened, and an adapter between the head and neck elements for lengthening the neck;

Figure 13 is a fragmentary view of another animal assemblage, partly in section, showing the adapter in association with a rigid neck element;

Figure 14 is a side elevation of a head having an adjustable unitary tongue and ear element and movable eye structure operated thereby;

Figure 15 is a sectional view taken along the line 1515 of Figure 14;

Figure 16 is a sectional view taken along the line 16-16 of Figure 15;

Figure 17 is a group of head appendage elements shown in front elevation, to be used with a head shown in Figure 15, the leftmost element being a skull cap to fill the cavity otherwise exposed when horn appendages such as those shown in the other members of the group, are not employed;

Figure 18 is a group of leg elements in pairs, in side elevation, a front and hind leg of the same animal constituting a pair, and the pairs being for different animals;

Figure 19 is a group of head appendage elements for different animals, usable with the head element shown in Figure 1;

Figure 20 is a group of two middle body sections in side elevation, the upper section being normal to most of the animals buildable with the kit, the lower section being that shown in Figure 1, in reversed position to form a hump;

Figure 21 is a group of neck elements in side elevation for different animals, the leftmost element being of the bendable type, such as is shown in Figures 11 and 12.

Now referring in detail to the drawings, and first advcrting to the group of Figures 1 to 4, the numeral 1 represents as a Whole a toy animal constructed from a selected group of the elements constituting the kit. Essentially, there is a body constituted by a from body section 2, a middle body section 3, a rear body section 4, a lock block 5 on which the three body sections are assembled, and leg elements 6, provided with leg pegs 7, by means of which the body sections are looked upon the lock block.

The lock block 5 is a rigid body of nonround crosssectional'shape. The lock block shown by way of illustration is rectangular in cross-section. The nonround characteristic of the block is essential to prevent the body section from rotating relative to the block. The middle body section 3 is formed with a longitudinal passage shaped to fit the lock block, and the front and rear body sections 2 and 4 are provided with recesses terminating short of their extreme ends, also shaped to fit the lock block. The lock block is longer than the middle body section, so as to extend into the recesses in the front and rear body sections.

The locking block is provided with bores 8 therethrough, to receive the leg pegs 7. It has additional bores 9, 10 and 11 which do not necessarily extend all the way through it, and which are to receive the pegs of other appendage elements. The front and rear body sections 2 and 4 are provided with bores 12, extending from their lower surface, and opening in the respective recesses which register with the bores 8 in the lock blocks when the body sections are in assembled position on the lock block. When the pegs 7 of the leg elements are inserted through the bores 12 and into the bores 8, the body sections are thereby locked upon the lock block.

The lock block may be fixedly secured within the middle body section 3, but it is preferably slidable through the middle body section, so that it may be extended to a convenient distance for facilitating the alignment of the bores 12 and 8 and the insertion of the leg pegs in the first of the body end sections to be assembled. When that has been done, the middle body section is pushed into contact with the assembled end section, which causes the free end of the lock block to project the proper distance to secure precise alignment of its bores 8 with the bores 12 of the other body end section.

The animal represented in Figure 1 is a cow, the body section 3 employed being the lower member selected from the group shown in Figure 20, which has the pronounced convexity 13 on one side, which is placed in downward position in Figure 1, to form a belly characteristic of a cow. The rear body section 4, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, is provided with a chamber 14 above the lock block that communicates with the exterior at the rear by means of a tail bore 15. A flexible tail 16 is provided, having a short or cow brush 17 at one end, and a long or horse brush 18 at the opposite end. The tail 16 passes through the tail aperture 15, the selective length which is to be exposed extending outwardly of said bore, while the remaining portion is stowed in more or less desultory fashion within the tail magazine. In the case in which the animal would be a horse, the tail is inserted in the tail bore 15, reversely with respect to the position shown, so that the horse brush is exposed, while the cow brush is concealed within the magazine. The tail can be drawn out more or less, selectively according to the animal which is being replicated.

The front body section 2 has a bore 19 in the front, which registers with the bore 9 in the front of the lock block, the aligned bores being used for the insertion of the neck peg which secures the neck 20 to the body. The neck 20 carries a peg which fits into a peg socket in the head element 21.

Since the same head element is used in making a variety of animals, the characteristic appearance of the head is created by the provision of interchangeable head appendages. In the case of the cow, the head appendages comprise a pair of ear and horn units, best shown in Figure 3, in which the horn 23 is rigid with respect to the securing peg 24, while the ear portion 25 is flexible. The head element is provided with laterally spaced bores for the reception of the pegs 24. Other interchangeable horn and ear units are illustrated in the two lefthand examples in Figure 19, the unit 26 being for a deer, and the unit 27 for a giraffe. In the event that the animal being assembled is hornless, interchangeable units 28 and 29, Figure 19, are provided, consisting each of a pair of flexible ears 30 and 31 mounted on a peg.

The legs of the animals may each be an integral member with a peg projecting from the top, as shown in the examples 32, 33, 34 or 35 in Figure 18. However, they can be sectional, as shown in Figure 1, so that the same thigh section can be used for several animals, with clif ferent hoof sections 36.

In Figure 18, each example comprises a pair of legs, one front and one hind, example 32 being giraffe legs, example 33, deer legs, example 34, horse legs, and example 35, cow legs.

Specifically with respect to the cow, an udder 38' is provided, which carries a peg 38 insertable through a bore in the lower part of the rear body section, which aligns with the hole 11 of the lock block.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative form or rear body section having the tail magazine 14, in which a transverse roller is rotatably mounted. The tail is wound about said roller, both ends of the tail projecting from the tail bore 15. Normally, one end portion of the tail will be extended to the point at which only sufficient of. the other end is exposed to afford a fingerhold in drawing it out, and thereby pulling the hitherto exposed portion of the tail in.

Still another alternative rear body section 40 is shown in Figure 7, characterized by the absence of a tail magazine. When this rear body section is employed, an appropriate tail element is selected, for example, the horse tail 41 shown in Figure 7, which has a pointed pin 42 at its upper end, adapted to be stuck in the rear body section.

Referring now to the group of Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10, which show a horse assembled from selected kit parts, these illustrate the versatility of which the assembled parts are capable. In Figure 7, the horse neck element 43, which as shown in Figure 21 carries a peg at each end, is inserted through the bore 44 in the upper part of the front body section 2 and into the bore 10 of the lock block with which the bore 44 registers. This establishes the erect position of the neck. The peg is frictionally rotatable in the registering bores so that the neck can be turned to the position shown in Figure 8. The peg at the upper end of the neck element 43 projects into a bore in the head element, being frictionally rotatable therein, so that the head may be turned from the forward position shown in Figures 7 and 8, to the rearward position shown in dotted lines in Figures 9.

Alternatively, the neck 43 can be inserted through the bore 19 in the front of the front body section 2 which registers with the bore 9 in the lock block, placing the neck in the forward position shown in Figures 9 and 10. When the neck is in the erect position shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, a breast plate 44' may be secured to the front body section 2 by means of a peg carried by said breast plate insertable in the registering bores 19 and 9. This not only gives proper convexity to the breast of the horse, but also conceals the bore 19. In the horse model the upper middle body section 45, shown in Figure 20, is selected.

Figure 11 shows the assembled camel. In making this figure, the same middle body section is used as is employed for the cow, but in reverse position, so that the convexity 13 which forms the belly of the cow, becomes the hump of the camel. The rear body section may be either the section 40 shown in Figure 7, or one of the tail magazine sections shown in Figures 4 or 5. The same type of tail is used for the camel as for the cow, but is not pulled out as far from the magazine. The neck element for the camel may be of rigid construction, as shown at 46 in Figure 21, but is preferably a bendable neck consisting of a Wire core 47 surrounded by a molded flexible sheath 48. A peg is carried at both ends of the neck, one for insertion in the bore of the head element, and the other to be inserted in the aligned bores 19 and 9 in the front body section 2 and the lock block 5. In Figure 21, the leftmost example 49 is similar to the camels neck shown in Figure 11, but somewhat longer to serve for a giraffes neck and not bent to so great an extent.

Figures 14, 15 and 16 show an alternative head construction which can be used in the assemblage of most of the animals, consisting of a. head 52 having a capacious bore or hollow 53, the forward end of which constitutes the open mouth 54. Said bore is divided into two branch bores 55 extending earward and opening in the surface of the skull at laterally displaced points. A flexible tongue and ear unit 56 is mounted in the head 52, said flexible unit being Y-shaped, as shown in Figure 15, the stern of the Y extending through the bore 53 and projecting a short distance beyond the mouth 54, while the arms of the Y pass through the branch bores 55 to an extending position outside of the head, being shaped as cars. When the tongue portion is pulled, the ears are drawn in and shortened. This enables the ears of various animals to be simulated. If desired, the excess tongue portion which protrudes from the mouth when the ears are shortened, may be rolled and pushed back more or less into the mouth. In this form of the invention the bore 53 is intersected by a roller 57 having eyes 58 at its outer ends in substantially correct position on the outside of the head to represent the eyes of the animal. A sector shaped area 59 is painted on the eyes. The roller 57 is in the normal plane of the stem or tongue portion of the tongue and ear unit 56, so that the latter is diverted in order to pass the roller 57, and rests frictionally against said roller. Thus when either the tongue or ears are pulled, the frictional passage of the member 56 across said roller, causes it to rotate and make the eyes roll.

Horn appendages'rnay be used with this form of head construction, for which purpose the head is provided with a bore 60 between thebranch bores 55 adapted to receive one of the horn elements 61, 62 or 63, shown in Figure 17, or other horn elements or" like construction. These consist each of a pair of rigid horns unitary with a skull cap 64, which carries a peg 65. The skull cap fits within an appropriate recess 66, which surrounds the bore 60. In case that the animal is hornless, so that a horn appendage is not used, a plain skull cap 67 having a securing peg 63 is used for filling said recess. Referring to Figure 17, the plain skull cap would be used when the for a cow, and 63 for a giraffe.

The specific elements illustrated in the drawings and herein described are not to be regarded as exhausting the number of forms which may be included Within the purview of the invention, nor is the invention restricted to the use of any particular material, nor to the building of only the specific animals which are herein disclosed by way of example.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific details of construction and arrangement of parts are not to be necessarily considered binding or limiting with respect to the inventive concept, but are only representative of equivalent structures which may be employed in carrying out the principles of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a three dimensional toy animal, structural components including front, middle and rear body sections in end to end abutment, said middle body section having a longitudinal bore therethrough of nonround cross-section, and said front and rear body sections having recesses of similar cross-section in their ends which abut said middle body sections, a lock block of nonround cross-sectional shape to fit the bore of said middle body section extending therethrough and beyond both ends of said middle iii body section, the recessed ends of said front and rear body sections fitting the extended ends of said lock block, leg peg bores extending upwardly through said front and rear body sections and into said lock block, and supporting legs having pegs at their upper ends extending into said lock block through said bores for supporting said lock block in definite position and whereby said front, middle and rear body sections are locked together as a unit, said lock block being the sole means for maintaining said middle body section in definite position relative to said front and rear body sections.

2. In a three dimensional toy animal, structural components including front, middle and rear body sections in end to end abutment, said middle body section having a longitudinal bore therethrough of uniform polygonal cross-section, and said front and rear body sections having recesses of similar cross-section in their ends which abut said middle body section, a lock block of cross-sectional shape to fit the bore of said middle body section and the recesses of said front and rear body sections, and of such length as to extend through said middle body section and into the recesses of said front and rear body sections, leg peg bores extending upwardly through said front and rear body sections and into said lock block, and supporting legs having pegs at their upper ends extending into said lock block through said bores whereby said lock block is supported in definite position and said front, middle and rear body sections are locked together as a unit, said lock block being the sole means for maintaining said middle body section in definite position relative to said front and rear body section.

3. In a three dimensional toy animal, a body having a chamber in its rear portion and an opening from said chamber to the outside of said body at the rear, a roller journaled in said body transversely intersecting said charnher and an extensible flexible double ended tail wound about said roller, having both ends passing freely through said opening whereby either end is accessible for pulling one end out and the other end in.

4. In a three dimensional toy animal of the type comprising detachable peg connected sections, one of said sec tions being a head having a bore therein a detachable horn and ear unit therefor, said horn and ear unit comprising a rigid horn component and a flexible ear component, and a peg rigidly connected to said horn component adapted to fit a bore in said head.

5. A set of toy animal components of realistic shape adapted to be assembled to form an animal, and lock means for certain of said components, said set including 7 front, middle and rear body sections adapted to be placed animal represents a horse, the element 61 for a goat, 62

in end to end abutment, said middle body section having a bore therethrough of uniform rectangular cross-section, and said front and rear body sections having recesses in the ends which abut the middle body section, said recesses being of corresponding cross-section to said bore, said lock means including a block of rectangular cross-section slidably fitting the bore in said middle body section and being long enough to extend therebeyond at both ends into the recesses of said front and rear body sections, said middle body section being adjustable about the longitudinal axis of said block to definite reverse positions, leg peg bores extending upwardly through said front and rear body sections registrable with aligned bore components in said block, supporting legs having pegs at their upper ends insertable through said leg peg bores into said aligned bore components for supporting said lock block in a definite position and for locking said body sections together on said block, said lock block being the sole means for maintaining said middle body section in either of its reverse positions.

6. Three dimensional toy animal as claimed in claim 5, said middle body section having a hump on the top side which becomes a belly when the middle section is inverted.

7. In a three dimensional toy animal as claimed in claim 5, said rear body section having a chamber above said lock block, said chamber having an opening communicating with the outside of said rear body section at the rear, and a reversible and extensible flexible tail slidable through said opening having a portion stowed in said chamber and a portion exposed beyond the rear of said body section.

8; Three dimensional toy animal as claimed in claim 4, said horn and ear unit being swivelly adjustable in the bore of said head.-

9. In a three dimensional toy animal, structural components including front end, middle, and rear end body sections in end to end abutment, lock block means projecting from an end of said middle section fitting into a bore in the adjacent end section, a leg peg bore extending upwardly through said end section into said projecting means, and a supporting leg having a peg shaped upper end extending into said lock block means through said leg peg bore for locking said middle section and adjacent end sections together.

10. Head construction for toy animals comprising a head-shaped member having a passage therethrough one end of which forms the open mouth of the animal, said passage being symmetrically branched from a common point within said member forming divergent branch bores which extend earward from an ear opening in the surface of said member opposite said mouth, a flexible Y-shaped member within said passage and branch bores extending beyond said mouth and said ear openings, the extended ends of said Y-shaped member being shaped respectively as a tongue and as ears, either the tongue or the ears being adapted to be pulled to lengthen the one at the expense of the other, a roller journaled in said headshaped member transversely intersecting said passage diverting said Y-shaped member, to be frictionally rotated thereby when said Y-shaped member is pulled, and eyes fixed at the ends of said roller exposed at the surface of said head-shaped member.

11. Head construction for toy animals comprising a head-shaped member having a passage therethrough one end of which forms the open mouth of the animal, said passage being symmetrically branched from a common point within said member forming divergent branch bores which extend earward from an ear opening in the surface of said member opposite said mouth, a flexible Y-shaped member within said passage and branch bores extending beyond said mouth and said ear openings, the extended ends of said Y-shaped member being shaped respectively as a tongue and as ears, either the tongue or the ears being adapted to be pulled to lengthen the one at the expense of the other, a roller journaled in said headshaped member transversely intersecting said passage, engaged by said Y-shaped member to be rotated when the latter is pulled, and eyes fixed at the ends of said roller exposed at the surface of said head-shaped member.

1-2. In a three dimensional toy animal, structural com ponents including separable middle, and rear end sections with contiguous end faces and means for locking them in abutment, said rear end section being provided with a chamber and a tail hole through the rear communicating with said chamber, a flexible reversible tail having its opposite ends constructed to simulate diflerent animal tails, said reversible tail being slidable through said tail hole so as to be adjustable for length, and having one tail end normally stowed in said chamber while the other is exposed, said chamber opening in the interface between said sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS I 1,229,953 Heatlie June 12, 1917 1,239,982 Sweet Sept. 11, 1917 1,259,782 I Savage Mar. 19, 1918 1,322,713 Marshall Nov. 25, 1919 1,591,661 Dinsdale July 6, 1926 2,052,594 Antel Sept. 1, 1936 2,092,775 Pearson Sept. 14, 1937 2,144,751 Brown Jan. 24, 1939 2,354,392 McCoy July 25, 1944 2,448,088 Driggs Aug. 31, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,009 Great Britain June 1, 1875 

